As Evil Does
by historian
Summary: A new villian arrives in Reefside, and his first sadistic attack leaves Cassidy Cornell broken in both mind and body.  Can the Rangers fight a two-front war AND help someone who was never quite a friend?
1. Chapter 1:  Attack

Connor had a bad feeling about this.

Normally he would have enjoyed the opportunity to spout a Star Wars quote, but as he was currently engaged in battle with four Tyrannodrones, he was bit too busy. Plus, he wasn't really in a joking mood. Something about this mission gave him a sinking feeling.

It seemed straightforward enough. Haley's constant monitoring of the city had detected an invisoportal opening. The five Rangers arrived just in time to see a swarm of Tyrannodrones haul Cassidy Cornell, aspiring reporter, nosy busybody, and all around

annoying pest through the 'portal. She hadn't gone quietly, but she had no chance against that many drones. Her sidekick and constant companion Devon had been knocked silly by a Tyrannodrone punch, but thankfully was not seriously harmed.

Being, by this point, true to the Ranger heritage, the fact that the victim was someone they didn't like caused no hesitation to the Rangers' rescue attempt. But five hours passed before an increasingly frustrated Haley finally tracked the drones to a factory that had been shut down for two weeks for its' annual maintenance.

The battle was, despite Connor's misgivings, going well. Tyrannodrones, even in significant numbers, simply weren't a match for five morphed Rangers. Strangely, Zeltrax and Elsa had not put in their usual appearance. The two cyborgs rarely passed up a chance to mix it up with the Rangers, even though by now they should have known they weren't going to win.

Connor took down the last drone, and looked around to see the others had finished as well. Without needing to say a word, the team rushed into the factory. They had no trouble at all finding Cassidy.

It's hard to miss that much blood.

"Oh, god..." Kira's soft, horrified whisper spoke for all them. Even Tommy, with all he'd seen in a long career, froze in shock.

A barely identifiable Cassidy lay on her back on the concrete floor, blood pooling all around her. She was naked, her clothes laying in shreds some distance away. It was obvious that all her limbs were broken; they bent at unatural angles. It was almost impossible to find even a single small area of skin that was not either ripped open or covered with blood. Several of the wounds had gone clear to the bone beneath. Even in unconsciousness...or death...her face was twisted in pain and horror.

Ethan recovered first and rushed forward, taking off his glove and feeling for a pulse, not noticing, or at least not caring, about the blood beneath his fingers. He closed his eyes for a moment in relief, and then looked back at the others. "She's still alive!"

"Haley..." Tommy began in a tight voice.

"An ambulance is already on it's way." Haley's voice didn't sound too steady.

The heroes of Reefside gathered around the broken body, waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Suffocating in their helplessness.

---

It was a somber group that waited in Tommy's basement. Tommy sat slumped in a chair, staring stone-faced at the wall. Ethan was supposedly reading a book, but hadn't turned a page in over twenty minutes. Kira and Trent were wrapped in each other's arms on a couch, with Trent looking like he needed the contact as much as Kira. Connor was the most restless, pacing relentlessly back and forth.

Haley determinedly kept her focus on her computer screen. She had easily hacked into the hospital's computer systems, and was waiting for the doctor's report on Cassidy's condition. She thought she had steeled herself for the worst.

But she still made a choking sound when the words finally filled her screen.

It caught Tommy's attention. "Haley?..."

Haley struggled to put on her "mission voice". "Cassidy is expected to survive," she began, and winced at the sighs of relief. She REALLY wished she could just stop there. "But she's in bad shape. She has over twenty broken bones, mostly in her limbs but also five ribs. She's lost a lot of blood. She has head trauma. She was...raped. Repeatedly." She didn't need to look to see the shock on the Ranger's faces. "And..." her voice cracked in spite of her best efforts, "her spine is broken. She's paralyzed from the waist down."

Haley cringed as Connor slammed his fist against the wall, then stormed up the stairs. Kira was sobbing into Trent's shoulder, even as Trent's tears fell on her. Ethan stared into space, seemingly unable to come grips with the situation. Haley turned to Tommy. The two friends communicated without words; their facial expressions sufficed. Are you all right?

No. But we need to stay strong for the kids.

I'm here if you need me.

I know.

Tommy followed Connor up the stairs, albeit at a more sedate pace.

Haley lowered her head into her hands


	2. Chapter 2:  Coping:  Connor and Tommy

Tommy knew a talk with Jason was in his near future. Tommy kept close ties all his former teammates, even, after the initial hurt and awkwardness had passed, Kimberly. Tommy had, under Jason and Zordon's tutelage, considerably improved his ability to handle his guilt, but his brother-in-all-but-blood still provided critical support in times of need. He knew he could make it through this. He was much more concerned about his team.

This was their first major defeat. That was something Earth's Rangers had faced only rarely, but it did happen. Tommy lost his powers twice. Jason had failed to defeat Goldar and capture the Green Candle. The destruction of the Command Center and

Power Chamber. Zordon's capture and death...a loss still felt keenly among all his Rangers. They won far more often than they lost, but it was far from a perfect record.

He found Conner standing in his front yard, staring up at the night sky. His hands were clenched into fists. He gave no reaction as Tommy reached his side. The two stood together silently for perhaps ten minutes before Conner spoke.

"We weren't good enough."

Tommy did not respond. He knew Conner needed to vent.

"We weren't fast enough...we weren't strong enough...we didn't beat the Tyrannodrones soon enough...Haley couldn't find them soon enough...it just wasn't enough. WHY WASN'T IT ENOUGH!!??" he screamed at the sky, but it did not answer.

Another few minutes of silence passed. Finally Conner turned his head towards Tommy. A single tear streaked down each cheek. "Make it better, Tommy. Please?" Conner had never cried before. He had also never used Tommy's first name.

Tommy sighed and did something that showed how extreme the circumstances were. He pulled Conner into a hug. The Red Ranger did not resist.

"I can't, Connor. This is a moment all Rangers encounter. This is the moment a very important fact sinks in: this isn't a game. Our enemies make look cheesy and not very bright, but they're deadly serious. They're out to conquer the world, but sometimes even more than that, they want to hurt us. And they know full well that one of the best ways to do that is to hurt innocent people. People get hurt. People die. And if we fail, the whole world dies. Just because we're the good guys doesn't mean we're

always going to win.

Conner finally pulled away and wiped his eyes. His back straightened, and he looked Tommy in the eyes. "It wasn't Mesogog."

Tommy blinked, surprised.

"Think about it. Kidnapping? Sure. Torture? In a heartbeat. But rape? Mesogog considers himself superior to all humans. He'd never "lower himself" by having sex with one, even by rape. Elsa and Zeltrax are cyborgs. They don't give a damn about sex, and I'm pretty sure they're no longer equipped for it, because Mesogog doesn't care either. It has to be someone else."

Tommy had never been more proud of Conner than that moment. The boy-no, the young man-was pushing aside his own pain and focusing on the job at hand. Not denying it, but delegating it for later. He was proving himself worthy of the Red armor.

"So," Tommy joined in, "the new guy -or girl- is either working with Mesogog, or has set up shop on his own."

Now it was Conner's turn to be surprised. "If he's not working with Mesogog, how did he get Tyrannodrones?"

Tommy smirked a little. "The same way Mesogog did...he stole them".

---


	3. Chapter 3: Consoling: Kira and Trent

Kira's tears had ceased, though Trent could tell his girlfriend was still deeply troubled. He didn't blame her; he knew he would have nightmares about this day for years to come. He'd thought he known what evil was thanks to his time as an evil Ranger, but now he realized just what a novice he had been.

"I can't believe this happened," Kira said, resting her head on the shoulder of the man she was starting to love. "I never thought we'd...well, lose a battle."

Trent knew how she felt. Morphing was the ultimate high, it made you feel invincible. That feeling was compounded as you successfully blew up monsters and made minions retreat in defeat. All of that had abruptly ended now. "We didn't lose the war, Kira. We still have our powers, and we'll still make Mesogog pay. And at least Cassidy's still alive."

Kira sighed deeply. "If you can call what she's going through 'life'". She paused. "I...I don't know if I can get through this, Trent. I feel like such a failure. We're supposed to protect innocent lives, and we didn't this time."

"I know the feeling," Trent admitted. He tried be strong for Kira. "Just don't forget people we _have_ saved. Our teammates, Krista, and all the people who would die if Mesogog gets his way."

Kira knew her boyfriend was right. She pulled back out of their embrace and looked at him. "Sorry to dump all this on you. You must think I'm so weak."

Trent looked at her in disbelief and shook his head. "Kira, you're the strongest person on this team; even stronger than Dr. O. He told me the female Rangers are the heart of any team, and he's right. You keep us all grounded. You don't take crap from anyone, including Connor. You have the courage to try to break into the music industry, which is NOT an easy thing to do. That's part of the reason I...like you."

Kira smiled at him and pulled him in for a tender kiss. It was a deep moment, but when it ended Trent could still see something gnawing at her in her eyes. He cupped her cheek with her hand. "What else is bothering you?"

Kira sighed and looked down. "It's the way I treated Cassidy all this time. We've always clashed, you know that. Before I became a Ranger she was the closest thing to an enemy I had." Tears filled her eyes again. "But that's just it. When Mesogog kidnapped me and demanded my crystal, I learned what _real_ enemies were. I looked into the face of pure, unadulterated evil for the first time. But did that change how I treated Cassidy? NO!! I still insulted her, belittled her, and shoved her away. I barely treated her any better than I did Elsa and Zeltrax. She not evil! Just...over-enthuisastic and misguided. How am I ever supposed to face her now!?"

Trent gently brushed away the tears running down her cheeks. "I feel the same way. But all we can do now is be there for her. You know that being Rangers made us grow up fast. Most of our classmates won't be able to handle what happened, especially the...the rape part. I know we've never been her friends, but she's going to need all the support she can get."

Kira nodded and snuggled up to him again. He wrapped her arms around her and held her close. Soon they would face the world again. But for now the universe consisted of just each other, holding the darkness at bay.


	4. Chapter 4: Considering

"Ethan?" Haley asked cautiously. He'd been staring into space for ten minutes now, barely blinking. She was starting to get seriously concerned.

Ethan turned a vacant gaze on Haley, who tried desperately to find appropiate words. Then he suddenly lunged forward, grabbing her in a hug that made her ribs creak. She gasped in mingled surprise and lack of air, but quickly returned the embrace. Even though he still wasn't crying, she could feel his misery.

Haley knew this was going to be hardest on Ethan. Out of their whole team, only Ethan could genuinely claim Cassidy was his friend. They'd even briefly toyed with a romantic relationship. She couldn't imagine what he was going through.

"It's our fault," he said, his voice muffled by her shirt.

She thought he was talking about failing to rescue Cassidy. "No it's not, Ethan. We did the absolute best we could..." even though she was still hurting from the fact that it had taken her so long to find the blond.

He pulled back, shaking his head. "No, it's our fault because we're Rangers. Mesogog wouldn't have even have glanced at her otherwise. He may want to destroy humanity, but he doesn't care about individuals. At least he didn't until we pissed him off so badly that he started taking his frustrations out on our friends."

Haley decided to voice the thoughts that had been going through her head. "Ethan...I don't think it was Mesogog. It doesn't fit his M.O. Power Ranger villians may be powerful and dangerous, but they're also predictable. Attacking someone like that...that _viciously_...is out of character."

Haley didn't add her knowledge that the few times the villians DID get creative, they often came dangerously close to winning. Rita was a prime example: the Green Ranger, Cyclopsis, the Green Candle...

Ethan looked at her gravely. "Then that means...there's someone else. Someone who doesn't play by the same rules."

Haley's nod was grim. "And they are more sadistic then Mesogog, more clever than him, and--in some ways--more subtle." She cut off Ethan's rising protest. "Subtle by Power Ranger standards, I mean. Think about it. This wasn't the usual 'send foot soldiers out to create panic so the Rangers show up to face my new monster.' This was a surgical strike. Cassidy was located, kidnapped, tor...hurt, and discovered within a five-hour time span. That shows planning skills."

Ethan's face darkened even more as realization set in. "It wasn't luck that we found her alive, was it? I mean, five more minutes and she would have died there. The bastard timed it perfectly. He wanted us to find her alive, only to realize that we could do _nothing_ to help her. He wanted us to feel..." 

"Helpless," Haley finished. "And we did, didn't we? This isn't just sadism, Ethan. This is psychological warfare. And it's only going to escalate from here."

Ethan squared his shoulders. "How do we stop them?"

Haley sighed. "I hate to admit it, but for once, I don't have any ideas. The problem is another thing that's different about this villian: we know absolutely nothing about them. Usually villians can't shut up about their brilliant plans, much less an actual victory. Mesogog's not quite as bad as most of them, but even he let us find out the location of his base right off the bat--we just can't do anything about it. And if they're as smart as they seem, they'll stay in the shadows as long as possible."

Ethan looked at her, and there were finally tears in his eyes as he asked "Haley? Can we...are we going to win this?"

When she and Tommy first started creating the DinoThunder powers, Haley made a vow: she would never lie to the future Rangers. No mentor ever had, and she was not about to start. Though neither of them spoke it out loud, Haley knew Tommy felt the same way. She could not, of course, predict the future. So her answer, although worded carefully, was absolutely sincere. "We have to Ethan," she hugged him again. "We HAVE to."


	5. Chapter 5: Consternation: Mesogog

"Report," Mesogog hissed to his servants.

"All Tyrannodrones have been accounted for, Master," Elsa began. "Those involved in the most recent attack were certainly not ours."

"The blueprints remain securely locked down in the main computer," Zeltrax added. "There are no signs of unauthorized access. So either someone hacked us without leaving any traces..."

"...Or some else was on the island before its' destruction," Mesogog finished. "Someone who is obviously not restrained by ethics like the Rangers are. This is a most...disturbing development."

"Forgive me, master, but won't this work to our advantage? The Rangers appear to be facing a two-front war."

"Once again you prove your foolishness, Zeltrax. We have no idea what this newcomer's motives are. I sincerely doubt they share my desire to restore the rule of the dinosaurs. And they may well be after the Gems for themselves. That I will not tolerate."

"What are your orders, master?" Elsa asked.

"We must assume that, if this person _was_ on the island, they have access to all of our technology. Elsa, begin recalibrating the sensors to pick up any anomalous electromagnetic energy sources similiar to our own. Zeltrax, put a distinctive mark on all of our own Tyrannodrones; I want no cases of mistaken identity. Also..." Mesogog was abruptly cut off when a flash of light appeared overhead. A piece of paper floated lazily down to the floor. The villains stared at it with wide eyes.

"Elsa," Mesogog began in a dangerous voice, "is the forcefield still up?"

Elsa hurried over to the wall terminal and typed in a command. "Yes, master."

"And yet, this has appeared," Mesogog stated.

"Allow me, master," Zeltrax bent to pick up the paper, but Mesogog waved him off, not wanting to look weak in front of his servants. He picked up the paper and began to read it. The red spot on his forehead began to glow brightly and he began to hiss angrily as he finished.

_Dear Lizardface,_

_You're probably wondering who I am and how I penetrated your oh-so-secure fortress. I'm not about to tell you. Suffice it to say that you are a miserable excuse for a villian who can't even defeat a inexperienced Ranger team and an equally inexperienced Ranger mentor. Not as easy as you expected, was it? As such, you are no threat to me._

_Being the good sport that I am, I will give you one chance to save yourself: stay out of my way. The Rangers and Haley are MINE to kill! I"ll show you how a REAL villian operates. Pay attention; you might learn something._

_If you're worried about your "master plan", don't be. You can have this miserable mudball after I'm done. I have greater ambitions._

_Sincerely,_

_Me_

With a growl, Mesogog crumpled up the sheet of paper, hurled it into the air, and incinerated it with his pyschic abilities.

After giving his master a few seconds to cool off, Zeltrax asked "What was it?"

Mesogog settled back into his chair as though a great weight had settled onto his shoulders. "A declaration of war."


	6. Chapter 6: Waking up into a Nightmare

Ethan walked nervously down the hall towards Cassidy's hospital room. It had been a week since she was attacked (Ethan had nightmares about it every night, and he was pretty sure the others did too), and two days since she regained consciousness. An hour ago, she had communicated (via her parents) that she wanted to see Ethan.

The Blue Ranger's nervousness was understandable. Cassidy had, up to this point, refused even to _acknowledge_ that anyone else even existed. After his arrival at the hospital, her very concerned parents had tearfully told Ethan that she refused to respond in any way to them, much less the doctors and nurses. Even Devon's desperate attempts to get her to even LOOK at him had been ignored.

When Ethan asked them if any of Cassidy's other friends had had any luck, they looked at each other awkwardly. Clearing his throat, her father admitted that Cassidy didn't HAVE any other real friends. It had struck Ethan hard just how isolated Cassidy Cornell really was. He knew full well that her single-minded focus on being a reporter could be off-putting, as his fellow Rangers had made clear many times, but he had never realized just how alienated from her peers she had become.

Having reached the room, Ethan steeled his nerves and walked in. But he was still nowhere near prepared for the sight that greeted him.

Cassidy looked…terrible! The long, thick blond hair he had always admired has been completely shaved off so her head trauma could be dealt with. Her skin—the small amount not covered in bandages—was as pale as a corpse's. Her face was much thinner, her cheekbones more prominent.

But when she slowly moved her eyes to look at him (she had been staring out the window), his skin crawled. Her eyes were perhaps the only part of her body not deliberately damaged, but they by no means looked healthy. The first word that sprang to his mind was, well, "DEAD".

Those horrible eyes studied him for only a moment, then shifted back to the window in apparent disinterest. Ethan sternly ordered his frozen feet to move, and he managed to take a few steps into the room.

Afterwards, he never could say how long the silence lasted. It could have been two minutes, or two hours. Finally, she spoke…and it only added to his nightmares from then on.

"He broke me." The simple statement of fact shocked Ethan to his core. Cassidy went on, her voice rasping through damaged vocal cords. "I didn't think he could, you know. He tortured me at first, but I resisted. I'm no stranger to mental pain, and physical pain can never match that." Ethan felt guilt growing in his heart. "When I regained consciousness, he asked me if I'd had enough. I spat in his face. I told him the Rangers would come rescue me, and blow him into a million pieces."

"He laughed. He laughed and laughed, making me wonder what was so funny. I knew he couldn't shake my faith in the Rangers. Then…he told me. He told me what was so funny. He said, what kind of reporter am I, if I couldn't see what was right in front of me. That's what broke me." Those terrifying eyes shifted back to him. "Leave." She commanded softly.

"Cassidy…" Ethan began.

"Leave, Blue Ranger!" Her whisper was more final than any scream.

Ethan stared at her a moment longer, then fled the room.

Cassidy continued to stare at nothing.


	7. Chapter 7:  Blue Rage

CHAPTER 7: BLUE RAGE

All of the Dinothunder Rangers had been edge since the attack on Cassidy. Connor wasn't even-tempered at the best of times, and it was taking all his self-control to keep from taking it out on his fellow Rangers. Kira had developed the habit of bursting into tears at random intervals—which was _extremely_ uncharacteristic of the Yellow Ranger. Trent was worn to a frazzle between comforting his girlfriend and dealing with his own guilt. The two adults were coping better; Tommy because he was no stranger to guilt, and Haley largely because of her closeness to Tommy. However, both mentors were stretched thin trying to keep the kids going, both in their civilian lives and as superheroes.

So maybe they shouldn't have been so surprised when Ethan came storming into Tommy's living room, nearly ripping the front door off its' hinges in the process…but they were.

"THAT FUCKING BASTARD!" Ethan raged, picking up a lamp and shattering it against a wall, as the rest of the team gaped at him. "HOW DARE HE! HOW _DARE_ HE!"

"Ethan, calm do-" Tommy started.

"_**HE TOLD HER!**_" the Blue Ranger screamed. " HE TOLD HER WHO WE WERE!"

His teammates froze in shock.

Abruptly, Ethan's anger vanished, and he began to cry. "That's what broke her…_WE_ broke her!"

"Oh Ethan!" Kira got to him first and embraced him, crying once again as well. "It's not our fault. It's not YOUR fault!"

Tommy was reeling just like the others, but he maintained a clear enough head to guide his two kids (and he had regarded them as **his** kids from the very beginning) to the couch. Trent and Connor sat down on either side of their teammates, their own misery very obvious.

"We should have told her," Trent was mumbling, but the others still heard him.

"We couldn't, Ethan," Haley told him, trying to hold in her own pain. "If you had, the team would have been stripped of their powers. Then there would have been no one to stop Mesogog. That's the way the Power works: Power Rangers _can't_ deliberately reveal their identities unless there's no other choice."

"That's a stupid rule!" Connor snapped.

"I can see where you would think that, Connor," Tommy admitted. That restriction, one of the Three Unbreakable Power Ranger Rules, had caused him and his original teams a great of trouble…especially with Bulk and Skull thrown into the mix. (The Originals had ruefully commented many times how ironic it was that, of all the many world governments and covert agencies fervently trying to discover the identities of the worlds' greatest heroes, the only people who had repeatedly come close to success where the two stupidest of them all). He continued, "But even without the Power loss, it would be a very bad idea. You would never have a moments' peace or a normal life ever again. Not to mention all the ruthless people—some of them in our own government—that would try to exploit our knowledge for their own purposes." He hesitated, then decided to make his final point. "Also…and please don't take this as an insult to Cassidy…I sincerely doubt that she would have been able to keep her mouth shut. At the very least she would have told Devon; those two share everything with each other."

The teenagers couldn't argue with that.

(Of course, Tommy's statement wasn't quite accurate, though in another universe none of them would have known that until the very end of their careers as Rangers. Devon had been able to keep his attraction to Cassidy a very deep secret).

"So…where do we go from here?" Kira asked tentatively.

Ethan finally got his emotions under control and looked up. "I don't think we have to worry about her telling anybody anything in the near future. She doesn't want to talk to anybody, not even Devon."

"She told you, " Haley pointed out carefully.

"That was just releasing her anger at us," Ethan said sadly. He shivered. "You didn't see her lying in that hospital bed. The look in her eyes…" his breath caught. "I've never been so scared in my entire life! Hell, Mesogog would have been scared of her!"

It was only then that the true horror and evil of what had been done to an innocent young woman sank in for the Power Rangers.

Was there any way they were going to win this?

_To be continued…_


End file.
